meet free salad

free salad is one small part of this growth. they are a recently formed student organization at the university of wisconsin-madison dedicated to embracing and spreading the hydroponics movement. lucas peterson, the organization’s co-founder, shared his dream of a hydroponics-driven future: “every home could have the technology and knowhow to sustainably grow some of its own food supply.”

hydroponics 101

for those uninitiated, hydroponics is an alternative method of agricultural production that doesn’t rely on soil, and can be done in confined spaces indoors. hydroponics systems facilitate plant growth through a constant flow of nutrient-infused water. plants are commonly suspended in a trough with their roots reaching down into the water flow, gathering as many nutrients as needed. meanwhile, natural sunlight is replaced by led lighting.

the water flow system is what makes a hydroponics project so efficient and effective when compared to traditional soil farming. chief among its benefits is the constant recycling of the nutrient water throughout the system. because of this, farming with hydroponics results in 99% less water use than its soil counterpart. additionally, there’s no fertilizer runoff, representing a tangible improvement over soil farming in regards to the health of waterways.

the increased efficiency of hydroponics farms also leads to considerably higher crop yields and faster growing rates. these benefits, coupled with a decreased spatial requirement compared to soil farming make smaller-scale hydroponics systems ideal for urban agriculture, peterson explained. he continued, “this is sustainable everywhere, and the range of crops you can grow is almost limitless.”

growing a movement

“hydroponics is much more accessible today than the average person realizes.”

peterson and his two co-founders, in collaboration with roughly a dozen other students, are working to spread awareness of hydroponics’ potential through a variety of community education and outreach projects, as well as the development of their own on-campus hydroponics farm. tucked away in a storage area of a campus-associated building, free salad builds, tests and modifies a range of hydroponics systems.

after only two months of development, the current efficiency and size of free salad’s farm is only a fraction of the group’s long term goals, but the results are already tangible. using only donated supplies and a little diy construction, the team has created a functioning farm, and is growing real produce.

free salad will soon begin construction on a second story in their tower garden setup. this style, referred to as vertical farming, capitalizes on the small footprint of hydroponics systems, maximizing the growing potential of limited spaces. once completed, the addition will double the system’s total yield.

“hydroponics is much more accessible today than the average person realizes,” peterson said. he estimated the total cost of the tower garden pictured at roughly $100, including the water pump at the heart of the fixture.

as a part of their community outreach plan, free salad will be distributing tomato plant seedlings in miniaturized hydroponics systems at a community event. peterson and the rest of the group believe that direct public exposure like this will achieve two of their primary goals: broadly increasing awareness of hydroponics itself, and increasing food access. free salad also has plans to work with local schools, introducing hydroponics systems into classrooms and educating younger students about its applications in agriculture.

addressing hunger & nutrition

free salad’s education and outreach efforts come at a critical time, with dane county’s department of public health reporting that 11.8% of people, and 17.5% of children in the county face food insecurity. peterson and others share the belief that hydroponics seems poised to be an answer, or at the very least a part of the solution to pervasive issues like food deserts and insecurity.

the u.s. department of agriculture defines food deserts as areas that lack access to affordable foods that make up a full and healthy diet. this issue disproportionately affects low-income and minority areas where grocery stores are replaced with fast food and convenience stores offering only primarily sugar-filled, processed foods.

hydroponics seems poised to be an answer, or at the very least a part of the solution to pervasive issues like food deserts and insecurity.

while also affecting rural areas, food deserts are especially troublesome in urban areas, where population density is greater. free salad is looking to raise awareness and contribute to the eradication of the more than five local food deserts in the greater madison area.

this issue is not unique to madison either, affecting 23.5 million americans in total as of 2010, many of them residing in urban areas like chicago, new orleans, san francisco, atlanta, and other populous urban areas, according to the usda.

what’s standing in the way?

hydroponics is not without its obstacles and drawbacks. peterson was frank that the future of the technology is highly dependent on a widespread shift to renewable energy sources. the energy costs for large scale growth can be enormous, especially for certain crops like corn and tomatoes. this makes hydroponics operations difficult to scale, and renders their environmental benefit questionable in areas without access to renewable energy.

“the biggest barrier to hydroponics being mainstream is a lack of public awareness,” peterson said. this is why he believes so strongly in the work that free salad, and other groups like it, are doing. growing the hydroponics movement, inspiring others to embrace the technology and help its spread, this is the ultimate goal of free salad, peterson explained.

despite these challenges, peterson is unwavering in his dream of hydroponics’ future: everyday people approaching their local administration for change, creating their own organizations to continue learning, or simply experimenting with growing. he believes that with efforts like free salad’s around the country and globe an inflection point could occur, and a widespread embrace of local foods and sustainable, accessible eating could be on the horizon.

there’s one small hiccup in this invaluable marriage of technology and geographic information, though: the necessary mapping data that powers tools like these isn’t available everywhere. tools that so many take for granted across the western world like online map software, and even just the resources needed for a physical map, are severely lacking or wholly unavailable in many developing regions across africa, asia, and even areas within the u.s.

openstreetmaps (osm) is a solution to this widespread lack of mapping data. osm provides a completely open platform to access, view, and add to an ever-growing map of the world. utilizing the power of crowdsourcing, anyone can easily contribute to the creation of the map online from the comfort of their own home. in a matter of minutes, volunteers can set up an account and begin helping osm’s effort to map the world. this work is vital because the creation of a map allows governments, organizations, and everyday people to utilize its data to change lives, making healthcare, street safety, and disaster relief — among countless other necessities — more accessible to millions of people.

1. what is gis data?

map applications like google maps or waze are examples of a geographic information system, better known as gis, that you might use frequently, but not really understand how much is going on in the background. gis is a method of entering, storing, and displaying geographic data. once this data is collected in a gis, it can be used in an ever-growing number of fields including agriculture, engineering, and any other area that remotely utilizes geographic information.

2. what is openstreetmap?

openstreetmap is a free, open-source gis that seeks to create a complete, editable map of the world. if you’re wondering what sets osm apart from google and other consumer-geared gis services, the answer is that the project is public. think of it like a wikipedia, but for maps. osm is a world map for people, created by people. from a consumer point of view, google maps is free to use, however private companies like google force ngo’s, and other organizations and individuals to pay in order to access mapping and gis data. osm seeks to remedy this by crowdsourcing its own gis that is completely free to access across the world.

since its inception by steve coast in 2004, osm has worked to crowdsource data-mapping across the globe via local and remote means. volunteers on the ground utilize handheld gps devices, cameras, and paper notes to collect local geospatial information while others around the world help edit and ready the gis data remotely on computers. the process culminates in the entry of mapping data, like the marking of buildings and roads, by remote online volunteers. after a quick verification process, the map data is published and then free and open to use by anyone in the world.

3. why is it so important?

the gis data collected in openstreetmaps is used by individuals, communities, governments, businesses, and humanitarian projects for countless activities around the world. many of these groups desperately require gis data to fulfill their needs and goals but lack the budget to pay for gis services like google. osm has no fees, and because it is completely public anyone, anytime can help assist in their mission to expand mapping resources for all.

mapping the world also holds governments accountable. in areas of the world like western africa or southeast asia with vast expanses of unmapped but inhabited land, communities and the people that live in them are often neglected or forgotten. expanding mapping coverage and data literally puts these previously unmarked places on a map, and in doing so says to governments and aid groups, “we are here!” history has shown time and time again that unmarked communities are often forgotten in delivery of aid, development of commerce routes, and disaster relief. the simple act of marking a place, with populations ranging from dozens to hundreds of thousands of people, has an impact that cannot be understated.

4. mapping facilitates change

take for example the kibera slum in nairobi, kenya. kibera is home to more than 200,000 people, yet until recently did not appear in detail on any official map. scanning over the area online, you wouldn’t know it as home to nearly a quarter million people. empowering the communities within kibera with mapping resources and technology allowed these people better access to vital services, and improved recognition and support by the kenyan government.

before mapping resources were available, residents of kibera often couldn’t locate medical services in the crowded slum. with mapping data, they can easily locate and obtain medical care, as well as other life-changing services. the open-source nature of osm also allows kibera’s residents to mark hazardous areas such as those that are unsafe for women to travel through alone, notifying their community, and culminating in the installation of a police or government presence there to ensure safety.

this story is not unique to kibera, and similar changes are taking place all over the world. remote african villages are identifying and marking areas where female genital mutilation occurs, allowing aid groups and community members to provide assistance, and help young girls escape violence and abuse. in general, mapping informs communities and governments, facilitating a more active role in shaping their future.

mapping data is also invaluable in the case of disaster. when hurricanes, typhoons, floods, or other storms hit mapping data gives a more accurate representation of where people are, and how many are in danger. decisions about aid and evacuation are more informed, while search and rescue operations are expedited. the same holds true in monitoring the spread of disease outbreak, and more effective safety measures like quarantines are enabled using gis data.

5. getting involved is easy

assisting in the development of these maps is as simple as making an account on osm, or any of their affiliate organizations like the humanitarian openstreetmap team (hot), and browsing their current projects. once your account is made, simply navigate to the “contribute” or “projects” panel and you’ll be greeted by an image similar to this one (with layout dependent on which osm affiliate you’re using).

you can see in the image above that each open project on hot has a priority level ranging from low to urgent, and also a note on the percentage of the map completed. different community and aid groups will begin these projects for areas in need of gis data, opening them to osm for mappers like you to contribute to. hot also hosts a tutorial video explaining to new users how to use the in-browser mapping software and further describing the mapping process as a whole.

partner organizations like youthmappers are another way to get involved, and often host “mapathon” events where groups of people gather in person to educate new users on how to use osm’s online mapping software, and work together to work on an open mapping task.